Alamak, why you use plasticine on my car?
Why the need of Clay bar treatment?
One of the thing that makes a car shine out and glossy is the smoothness of the surface of the vehicle. Contaminants, bird poo and other muck such as haze particles, a favorite here in Singapore will make your car feel like sandpaper to the touch.
These contaminants will eventually causes damage to your paintwork in the long run. Some of these items could be corrosive and eats into your paint without you realizing. Those stuff are nasty buggers. Once they damage the clear coat and cause rust spot to appear, there goes your shine and worst, your money.
So here comes the clay bar. The kind that we usually use are the 3M sort. Bit more expensive but works great. What else would want for your pride and joy. So what can we do, regularly clay your car, just like a spa treatment. Should your missus ask what this claying is about, you can just tell her, its like exfoliation, take away the dead cell. She gets it and you are home free to get the best for your car.
You can wash and wash or ask your helper to wash but that would not get rid of the contaminants. These stuff are pesky and if you are not that lucky, someone might just try to scratch it off, usually dried bird poo. That is bad news. Nightmare on your paint work.
So what else, clay lah.
What is a Clay bar?
Clay bars are made from synthetic clay. Not Playdoh or Plasticine. That you play in kindergarten. These clay help to pick up all the surface grime. Imagine it like a top grade shaver. That's your clay and the solution you used, could be just plain old H2O or a little bit of shampoo is your shaving cream. This sticky stuff is the one that picks up all those contaminants and make the car smooth. Smoother than a baby bottom if you do it right.
With a smooth surface, you can now add on your sealant or wax or just clean it all up with a good Nano Wax.
Does a new car need to be clayed?
Yes they do need to be clayed, because the cars are parked in an open industrial place or shipping docks which are susceptible to crap landing on your car. And new car does not mean shiny cars. You need to make sure you get the best coating on your car to last it well beyond COE renewal.
How often does the car need to be clayed?
If you live in sunny and humid Singapore. Well, simply once every 3 months would be good. If not, you can just use your car as a cheese grater.
